*Regular Benefits are for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

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*Regular benefits are for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

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*Maternity and Parental Benefits are for those who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.

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*Maternity and parental benefits are for those who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.

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*Sickness Benefits are for people who cannot work because of sickness or injury.

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*Sickness benefits are for people who cannot work because of sickness or injury.

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*Compassionate Care Benefits are for people who have to provide care or support to a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death.

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*Caregiving benefits are for people who have to provide care or support to a family member who is critically ill or injured or requires end-of-life care.

To apply for EI benefits, you need to fill out an application for EI at a Service Canada Centre or online. At the website, look for "Apply for Employment Insurance Benefits" under "Online Services and Forms."

To apply for EI benefits, you need to fill out an application for EI at a Service Canada Centre or online. At the website, look for "Apply for Employment Insurance Benefits" under "Online Services and Forms."

There is a minimum wage law for most jobs. Each province sets a minimum wage, which is the lowest amount of money the employer may pay you for your work. As of June 1, 2019, the general minimum wage in BC is $13.85 per hour. Special minimum wage rates apply for some jobs, such as liquor servers and farm workers who pick crops by hand. The Employment Standards Branch provides details. The rates change from time to time.

Unless you have an averaging agreement with your employer (described in the next paragraph), your employer must pay you overtime after eight hours of work in one day, or more than 40 regular hours in one week.

If you agree, your employer may establish a "time bank" in which your overtime entitlement would be saved up and paid out at a later date. For more information, read the section called “Overtime Pay” or access the factsheet on the Employment Standards Branch website at www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb.

Under an averaging agreement, you and your employer can enter into a written agreement that allows your employer to schedule your working time in a way that better meets the employer’s needs.

In effect, an averaging agreement allows your employer to compress your regularly scheduled work week into fewer, longer work days without paying the usual overtime.

To use a simple example: If you usually work 40 hours a week, on average, under a one-week averaging agreement, your employer could schedule you to work for 10 hours a day for the four busiest days of work. In this case, your 40-hour, five-day work week has been "averaged" to fit into four days of 10 hours each. No overtime is paid for the 10-hour days.

Averaging agreements can be complicated. To find out more contact the Employment Standards Branch or read the fact sheet on averaging agreements on the Employment Standards Branch website at www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb.

when you have no averaging agreement with your employer, and you are required to work more than eight hours in a day or more than 40 hours in a week, or

when you do have an averaging agreement with your employer, and your employer asks you to work more hours in a day than you agreed to in the averaging agreement.

The amount of overtime pay you get depends on the number of extra hours you work. You must be paid overtime after eight hours of work in one day. Your employer must pay you one-and-a-half times your regular pay for each hour you work after eight hours. This is called time-and-a-half.

Your employer must pay you two times your regular pay for each hour you work after 12 hours. This is called double-time.

The Employment Standards Branch website has more information about the complicated overtime rules at www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb.

If you come to work as your employer asks you to do, you must be paid for at least two hours at your regular wage, even if you work less. If you have an averaging agreement and you agreed to work more than eight hours in a day, you must be paid for at least four hours, even if you work less.

If you come to work but you are unfit to work because for example you have been drinking or because you forgot your safety equipment, your employer does not need to pay you minimum daily pay.

You can work for five hours without a break. After five hours, your employer has to give you a break of at least 30 minutes. An employer who requires an employee to work or be available for work during a meal break must count the meal break as time worked by the employee. Employers are not required to provide coffee
breaks.

After your first 12 months of employment, employers have to give you at least two weeks paid vacation every year. If you have worked for the same employer for five years or more, your employer has to give you three weeks paid vacation every year. Usually you must take your vacation within 12 months of earning it. You may take it in periods of one or more weeks. Statutory holidays are in addition to annual vacation.

If you leave your job before you use up your vacation, your employer still has to pay you for that unused vacation time.

The BC Employment Standards Act does not remove an employer's right to terminate a worker.

The Act requires that workers who are terminated are entitled to receive written notice or compensation based on length of service:

after three consecutive months of employment – one week's pay,

after 12 consecutive months of employment – two weeks' pay, and

after three consecutive years – three weeks' pay, plus one week's pay for each additional year of employment to a maximum of eight weeks.

For example: Chui worked in a large store for four months. After Christmas, her employer said, "Today is your last day." She gave Chui one week’s extra pay.

The employer is not required to pay compensation if a worker is given advance written notice of termination equal to the number of weeks for which the worker is eligible. This notice must be in writing.

You may be entitled to more than these minimum requirements, because the notice you get must be “reasonable.” Whether you are entitled to the minimum or a larger amount will also depend on your employment contract.

Workers can lose their job without notice or compensation if they do something seriously wrong. This is called being fired for “just cause.” Examples of when an employer might have just cause to fire a worker are if the worker is dishonest about something important, steals from the employer, or repeatedly breaches a clear workplace policy or rule.

Workers can quit a job any time. It is usual to give your employer notice that you are quitting. Two weeks of notice is considered customary but is not required by the Employment Standards Act.

If you can, giving plenty of notice that you are quitting is a good idea especially if you want your employer to give a good report about you when you apply for another job. This is called giving a reference.

It is important to note that if you quit your job, or if you are fired for misconduct, you will usually not be eligible to receive Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.

You can find out more about the laws about working in BC by looking at the Guide to the Employment Standards Act. This guide is online at www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/esaguide.

A union is a group of workers who join together to negotiate wages and working conditions with the employer. Everyone has the right to form a union if most of the workers want a union. Unions are for the protection of workers.

Your union and your employer will talk together. They will decide about pay, vacation time, sick pay, and other benefits. This is called collective bargaining. They will write a contract. This is called a collective agreement.

The collective agreement sets out your rights and working conditions. If you have a problem with your employer, talk to the union. The union will meet with the employer to discuss the concerns.

There are some rules for unions. The rules say what unions can and can’t do. In BC, this law is called the Labour Relations Code.

Sometimes workers get hurt on the job. Workers' compensation is a program run by WorkSafeBC. This program helps workers who are injured or get sick because of their work.

WorkSafeBC makes safety rules and sends inspectors to most workplaces to check if they are safe. Employers pay for this protection. There is no cost to workers.

Workers who can’t work because of an accident at work or illness may get money from the workers' compensation program. If a worker dies at work, the family may get compensation. The WorkSafeBC website is at worksafebc.com.

Employment Insurance (EI) is a federal government insurance program that all workers and employers pay into. It is often known just by its initials: EI.

EI is meant to help workers when they lose their jobs, or need time off work.

You have to work a certain number of weeks before you can apply for benefits.

There are several types of Employment Insurance benefits:

Regular benefits are for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

Maternity and parental benefits are for those who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.

Sickness benefits are for people who cannot work because of sickness or injury.

Caregiving benefits are for people who have to provide care or support to a family member who is critically ill or injured or requires end-of-life care.

To apply for EI benefits, you need to fill out an application for EI at a Service Canada Centre or online. At the website, look for "Apply for Employment Insurance Benefits" under "Online Services and Forms."

Call your local Service Canada Centre to find out if you need to make an appointment. They might ask you for your postal code to find out which office you should go to.

When you go, you should take:

your social insurance card and proof of your immigration status,

a second piece of identification, with your photo if possible, like your passport or driver’s licence, and

your Record of Employment (ROE), if you have it, from every place you worked in the last 12 months.

If you do not speak English or French, take someone who can translate for you.

Note: If you want to get regular EI benefits, be sure to apply as soon as you lose your job. Apply even if you do not yet have your Record of Employment (ROE). If you delay applying for benefits for more than four weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.

If you lost your job because you quit or got fired, it will be difficult to get EI benefits. Check with your EI office for the number of weeks you need to have worked in your area. The Service Canada website also provides details at www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei.

In Canada, there are laws to protect workers from discrimination. For example, an employer is expected to hire employees on the basis of skills, experience and education needed for the job.

It is discrimination if an employer doesn't give a job because of your gender, age, race, religion, birthplace, sexual orientation (gay, bisexual, or straight), marital or family status (single, married, or living common-law), mental or physical disability, or because you have a criminal record for an offence that is unrelated to the job you are applying for.

There are also laws to protect you against discrimination while you are on the job.

The BC Human Rights Tribunal is where you can make a complaint that someone has discriminated against you under the Code. The tribunal’s job is to resolve human rights complaints in a way that is fair to the person who made the complaint and the person whom the complaint is against.

An agreement between two or more people, giving them obligations towards each other that can be enforced in court. A valid contract must be offered by one person and accepted by the other, and some form of payment or other thing of value must generally be exchanged between the parties to the contract.

A method of calculating time under which the days for a legal deadline are counted as they appear in the calendar, including weekends and holidays. See "business days" and "clear days."

A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. See "age of majority."

Evidence which establishes or tends to establish the truth of a fact; also, the conclusion of a logical argument. See "evidence" and "premises."